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Subject: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 10 Jan 00 - 01:09 AM El Swanno (Dave Swan) and his partners Tom and Doug (Oak, Ash, & Thorn) put on a great show at First Unitarian Church in Oakland last night: Terrific harmonies on a variety of British and Irish songs, most of them about consumption of alcohol (three wassails and two John Barleycorns plus Anacreon), lust, fox hunting, and blue drag. The highlight of the evening for me was "Woad," about the blue dye the Picts of auld England used instead of clothes: Dave's introduction of the song was first rate standup comedy. The Lovely PJ introduced them--the show was a benefit for Cygnus, the wildlife research and education foundation of which she is the leading light (is that right, Pam?). It was a great concert site: good sound, comfortable seating, and--most important of all--Unitarians are not teetotalers, so the audience was able to join the trio in spirits as well as in spirit. --seed www.oakashthorn.com |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: katlaughing Date: 10 Jan 00 - 07:57 AM That sounds lovely and like a lot of fun, Charles. Thanks for telling us about it. Congratulations, El Swanno e El Swanna! |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: p.j. Date: 10 Jan 00 - 01:44 PM What a great night! Oak Ash & Thorn sold out a 200 seat house as a benefit concert for CYGNUS Research and Education on Saturday. It was a wonderful show-- long-time OAT fans couldn't get enough! 2 encores, sold out the CD box, and raised a lot of money for a good cause. It was great to see the mixture of loyal fans, new friends (like Seed) and first timers in the audience. I had the pleasure of watching my staff and volunteers get all excited over the sounds that I'm lucky enough to hear around my diningroom table each week. Mick, the guys did the best version of "Fear No More" I have ever heard them do, and I thought of you and wished you could have heard it. Doug Olsen brought down the house with a great version of "Durham Jail" (new to this audience, and they loved it.) Tom Wagner treated us to a beautiful tenor on "Dido Bendigo", and although it's hard for me to pick a favorite of Dave's songs, one of my favorite moments in their concerts is always hearing "The Owl and the Pussycat", the Edward Lear poem which they do to the tune of "Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy". Dave used to sing it to me when we were dating and he always gives me a wink and a smile just before they do it in concert. Another new one they presented to the audience was "Hey Non-Barleycorn" about non-alcholic beer. "When you are out of beer and wine and vinegar and ink, and petrol, piss and turpentine, non-beer's the stuff to drink..." The crowd, beer in hand, went nuts. It's sure to be a staple in their concerts from now on! The concert did a lot to help our wildlife research organization, and the boys got a couple of nice offers for future gigs in the process as well. If somebody will tell me how, I'll submit some photographs of the concert for 'Catters to enjoy... xoxo pj |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: katlaughing Date: 10 Jan 00 - 02:04 PM And we can get CD's where, pj? |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Helen Date: 10 Jan 00 - 04:22 PM Hi PJ, I wish I had been there. Frustrating, very frustrating being half a world away. To post the photos contact bbc via the Personal Messages Page and she'll tell you how to do it. Also, I just looked up Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy in the DT database and the words are there but not the tune. Do you have a midi file, or ABC file of the tune which could be posted or sent in to Mudcat to go on the database? If not, I'll post it as a general thread request for the tune. I'm intrigued at the thought of The Owl & the Pussycat being sung to a different tune. I really don't like the tune I have heard it sung to, so I'm interested to know how it would sound. Helen |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: catspaw49 Date: 10 Jan 00 - 04:39 PM Well my friends, I am so happy that all went well and that the benefit was a success......Was there ever any doubt? I'm sorry Seed was in the audience as one miserable git (what the hell IS a "git" anyway--oh well) can spoil anything, but obviously he'd been heavily sedated. The very fact that he mentioned Dave's stand-up without paying tribute the Great El Swanno's prowess at the high dive is proof of his catatonic state. Very sad. Pam, I was wondering though......does he wink because its your song and a little insider thing of his love for you, or does he have gas and has just sent up a really foul air biscuit and he knows that his partners are in agony, but still smiling? In any case, I'm sorry that I live here and you there.......even with El Swanno's digestive problems, Karen and I would have loved to have been there. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: lamarca Date: 10 Jan 00 - 04:39 PM Hey, P.J. or Swanno - I heard "Hey, non-Barleycorn" sung by Bob Walser at a house concert years ago, but never got the words. It set me giggling for days... Would you be willing to post the lyrics here? Do you know who wrote the parody? Congrats on a good gig - hope I can come hear you if I ever get out to the Bay area! |
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Subject: Lyr Add: Non-Barleycorn^^ From: Dave Swan Date: 10 Jan 00 - 05:12 PM 'seed, Thank you for the kind words. Regardless of the quantities of Sierra Pale Ale you may have consumed to drown out the din, your perception is undimmed my friend. As a singer, I'm a hell of a comic. Spaw, There is one of us who will go unnamed who has no compunction whatsoever about roasting the foulest drop-a- vulture-off-a-gut-wagon flatulence in history..ON STAGE. His speciality is the silent killer just before one of his partners takes in a good double lungful. He swears he can't control it. I think he needs a doctor. Or a plumber. Helen, We will get Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy to you. I think Doug has the ABC for it. lamarca, Here are the lyrics of Non Barleycorn as we know them. Doug learned the song from someone who couldn't attribute it to anyone. We'd love to hear from anyone who knows who wrote it. We've found that it can be sung to the tune of just about any John Barleycorn you have hanging around the house. NON BARLEYCORN
Non Barleycorn as I've been told is good as any beer
Chorus:
Now it will not make you happy, and it won't give you a low
Chorus
Now do not scorn this noble brew, but to me now pay heed Chorus Cheers? E.S. |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: lamarca Date: 10 Jan 00 - 05:52 PM Thanks, Dave! |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Micca Date: 10 Jan 00 - 06:20 PM Thanks Dave. that looks like a good song for Towersey here in the UK next year if we may "borrow" it. Spaw "git"( spelled "get" pronounced git) comes from the middle syllable of "illigetimate" and is oldish English, originally used for any childlater for bastard, the earliest reference in my dictionary of Euphimism is 1320!!!!I t is usually used affectionately these days , mostly among male friends." As in "Hi you old git, how are you doing."or. as in a certain recent thread, " Miserable old git" LtS frequently refers to the undersigned as and MOG,Usually,I hope,with affection. |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 10 Jan 00 - 07:10 PM Thanks, Micca: I was wondering, too, especially after my painful induction into the Order of Miserable Gits by Banjer. --seed (O.M.G.) By the way, CD's may be purchased at www.oakashthorn.com
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Micca Date: 10 Jan 00 - 09:10 PM Charles, Thanks, as a fully paid up and card carrying OMOG I appreciate yor link, These guys sound like PLU, especially If they know Woad, which has been a PRPS favourite for many years,BTW look up the Teetotalars song that is done to the same tune its in the DT and may interest OAT, if they do not know it,it is called the ALCOHOLIC'S ANTHEM |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: BDenz Date: 10 Jan 00 - 09:26 PM I am so fond of woad [the song] that I found seeds for woad [the plant that makes the dye]. I will not, however, use the same ingredients to set the dye as were used waybackwhen. |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Micca Date: 11 Jan 00 - 03:40 PM Hey, BDenz why not, or are you just taking the p***s. Word of warning do NOT get woad on your person, it is VERY lipid soluble and can take up to 2 weeks to disappear from skin and will "only give you momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about". |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: MMario Date: 11 Jan 00 - 03:45 PM *sigh of disappointment* CD not yet available from site.... rats! |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: MMario Date: 11 Jan 00 - 04:17 PM bdemz - you got something against ammonia? |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: BDenz Date: 12 Jan 00 - 06:34 PM MMario -- It's not the ammonia. It's the urea and the rancid fat I don't really think I want to use. Micca -- I figured out the don't get it on your skin part the hard way. Kinda cute in a disgusting sort of way. Barb |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Micca Date: 12 Jan 00 - 09:00 PM I too, the Pharmacy department of the University I worked for in the early 70s had a large sample in its museum and we "acquired " some, it took 2 weeks to get it off my hands and a friend who got it elswhere on his person (A good revenge story there) discovered that it took that long to wear off but also it absorbed UV and he got spectacularly sunburned as well. |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: BDenz Date: 12 Jan 00 - 09:18 PM I'm not EVEN going to ask what part of the body that was. Not EVEN! |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: bseed(charleskratz) Date: 12 Jan 00 - 11:12 PM By the way, it occurred to me that OAT sings "Non Barleycorn" to the same tune used by the Austin Lounge Lizards for "Gingrich the Newt." Who had it first? --seed |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Barbara Date: 13 Jan 00 - 12:01 AM I think John Barleycorn had it first, --seed. What Non Barleycorn is a parody of. I'll look and see if I've got Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy in my Copper family collection or english stuff. If so, I'll post it here. Blessings, Barbara |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Sweeny Todd Date: 13 Jan 00 - 12:04 AM Cheered am I to hear of their continuing success and songs. I haven't heard them in years, as I am here in NYC. Have they published a NEW lyric book??? Please? All my best to Dave,Tom and Doug's family. |
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Subject: Oak, Ash, & Thorn CD From: Joe Offer Date: 17 Sep 00 - 10:20 PM I picked up the Oak, Ash & Thorn CD at the Festival of the Sea last weekend, but I din't have a chance to listen to it until just now. Gee, it's good. This is a five-man a cappella group doing traditional music, and they do a wonderful job of it. Dave, I'm proud of ya! It was nice to finally meet you last weekend. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Dave Swan Date: 18 Sep 00 - 01:04 AM Thanks for the press Joe, and for the link. I'm glad you're enjoying the disc. It was good to meet you too. Don't be a stranger in these parts. Come hang out in the East Bay and we'll finish the rest of that special glass of beer! Dave |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Peter Kasin Date: 18 Sep 00 - 01:22 AM Oak, Ash, and Thorn put on a wonderful drinking songs workshop at the Festival Of The Sea, along with rIGGY and radriano. The audience in the BALCLUTHA shelterdeck was full to the brim. (ha,ha) Great job, guys! |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Joe Offer Date: 18 Sep 00 - 01:22 AM Oh, good story...I was thirsty, and Old Dave took pity on me. He had a beer glass that was about an inch above "empty." Dave handed it to me, saying it was "a little flat, but good." Being thirsty, I drained the glass in an instant. Whoah! That was not beer in that glass. It was single-malt Scotch whiskey. Sure woke ME up. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Garry Gillard Date: 20 Sep 00 - 09:16 AM Jack Orion he swore a bloody oath by oak by ash by bitter thorn ... as found here, for example. Garry
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Subject: RE: Swan's Songs--Oak, Ash, & Thorn From: Susan A-R Date: 20 Sep 00 - 10:22 PM Sounds Great!! I agree with Helen. |
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